Let me tell you a relatable story. Have you ever visited a doctor? Of course, you have. Imagine this: you’re in pain, so you visit a doctor. The doctor examines your symptoms and provides a diagnosis, prescribing medicine based on their best guess. Sometimes, those medicines don’t work, and you have to revisit the doctor. They might need to run tests and then prescribe a whole new set of medicines that finally make you feel better.
Now, the same principle applies when you consult a digital marketing consultant. They analyze your business symptoms and offer solutions based on their expertise. However, there’s a chance that the initial strategies may not work as expected. They might need to run tests and gather more data to provide the right solutions. Unfortunately, in the digital world, these tests take time. As a business owner, you have to trust the consultant to prescribe the right “medicine” to make your business healthy and hearty.
Speaking of consultants, there are a few who take advantage of this time. Their goal is to secure a three-month contract, collect their fees as digital marketing consultants, and then move on to the next client. They have no intention of genuinely diving into your business and helping it thrive. It’s like being taken advantage of as a patient.
To address this issue, let’s discuss the expectations you should have from a consultation, how to determine if your consultant is actually delivering, and what actions you can take.
Expectation 1: Understanding of the Industry, When you approach a consultant, it’s crucial that they have prior experience in your specific industry. They should understand how your industry operates and the behavior of your target audience
Reality: While the consultant may understand your industry, they might not grasp the intricacies of your specific business within that industry. It takes time for a consultant to understand how you pitch your product to your target audience and how it should be done effectively. So, don’t expect the consultant to create a perfect pitch for your product in the first month of the consultation.
What you can do: To determine if a consultant is suitable for your business, ask them three questions:
1. Have you worked in our particular industry before?
2. Who do you think should be our target audience? (Check if it aligns with your target audience) 3. What do you perceive as the current challenges in our business? If the consultant can diagnose one or two challenges in your business, they might be the right fit for you. Go ahead and choose them.
Expectation 2: Working Hands-On Do not expect a consultant to work hands-on in your business. While some consultants may offer to do so, their primary role is to provide guidance and resources. They should act as mentors rather than employees. If you treat them as employees, you won’t get the results you expect. A consultant’s job is to guide you to the next level and make you independent, not increase your dependence on them.
Reality: A consultant should provide you with guidelines, but it’s important to understand that you and your team must execute the tasks. For example, if you need to increase your Instagram followers, the consultant should advise you on how to achieve that. They might suggest doing regular live streams using a tool like Streamyard or creating valuable content for your audience by posting three times a week. They should give you targets and explain how to achieve them, but it’s ultimately up to you to put in the effort.
What you can do: Always keep a practical check when working with a consultant. I’ve seen many consultants simply set targets without providing guidance on how to achieve them. Sometimes, I feel sorry for those consultants because if the business owners knew how to achieve the targets, they wouldn’t have sought their help. Remember, they approached you because they have a vision in mind and they need guidance. So, it’s only fair to provide them with action pointers instead of expecting them to figure everything out
Expectation 3: Building a Good Relationship You should have a great rapport with your consultant. While they might not become your best friend (not literally, at least), they should understand the things you’re not explicitly saying. Let me share an experience I had with a client. They approached me and said, “I believe YouTube channel videos will work wonders for my business.” What they didn’t mention was that they were camera shy. It was my job to understand this unspoken concern and come up with a solution, which we did by using their photos to create a podcast.
Reality: You need to stay in touch with your consultant almost daily. It doesn’t mean you have to have a conversation every day, but a quick message about updates, task clarifications, or results helps build a great rapport. Sharing these small details helps your consultant understand your business better, and it can contribute to long-term success.
What you can do: Set a specific time in your calendar to drop a message or ask your consultant to speak with you or message you during that designated time. Make it a daily task to update your consultant on anything new, ongoing, or achievements in your business. Let them act as an accountability partner for your business.
So, these are the expectations you should have from a digital marketing consultant, the reality of what happens, and how you can get the best out of your consultant. I hope this article helps you narrow down the right consultant for your business. Give it a read and let me know if it helped you in your decision-making process. Remember, a healthy and hearty business is just a consultant away!
